


Babysitting and the Conditions of Love

by infernalstars



Series: Neil Loves Dinosaurs [5]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Adoption, Autistic Neil Josten, M/M, Neil Josten & Andrew Minyard Adopt, Original Character(s), Trans Male Characters, neil josten loves dinosaurs, slightly ooc andrew minyard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:21:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26141032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/infernalstars/pseuds/infernalstars
Summary: "Love has it's conditions. I don't want to break them."
Relationships: Matt Boyd/Danielle "Dan" Wilds, Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Series: Neil Loves Dinosaurs [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1872259
Comments: 5
Kudos: 169





	Babysitting and the Conditions of Love

**Author's Note:**

> minor tw for abuse and transphobia :)
> 
> unedited but enjoy !!!

“Well?” Matt asked.

“Yeah, sure. Only if you help us with the adoption process!” Neil negotiates. 

“I’d do that anyway. Thank you!”

Matt calls his kids up from their car. He thanks Neil and then he’s off. 

A few weeks ago his oldest, a fifteen year old girl that Matt and Dan adopted, threw a party while home alone with their younger brother. Naturally, Matt didn't trust them home alone now. 

Neil and Andrew both had the week off so they were more than willing to babysit. 

Neil stepped aside to let them in. 

Andrew emerged from the kitchen as the kids sat in the living room. He froze with a coffee cup half way to his mouth. “What the fuck?”

“We’re babysitting tonight,” Neil said, playing with the material of his skirt. 

“I’ve got to get going. Dan will pick them up at ten. Thanks guys!” Matt said before hurrying back toward his car. 

Neil shut the door, looking to the living room where Lily was on her phone while her brother played with one of the cats. She occasionally glanced up from her texting.

“The things you get us into,” Andrew sighed. 

Neil tensed. “Think of it as practice.”

Andrew looked over at him. “Do you think we’ll want to foster a younger kid or an older one?”

Neil shrugged. “I feel like you’d do better with an older kid.”

His husband nodded in agreement. 

Lily looked up at them. “Why are you staring at us?”

“Sorry, Lily,” Neil said, sitting down with them. He smoothed out the skirt and let Lily’s brother, Mason, crawl into his lap. 

“Why are you wearing a skirt?” Lily asked after a moment. 

“Why are you asking questions?” Andrew deadpanned. 

Lily shrugged. “I heard Matt talking about it but...I didn’t think he was serious. Are you a guy?”

Neil frowned, looking over at Andrew. “Guys can wear skirts, Lily.” 

She looked away. “Yeah, I know. I was asking a question. Sorry.” 

Neil caught Andrew’s eyes. What was she talking about, he wondered. He shrugged it off, putting on cartoons for Mason. Mason curled up in Neil’s arms, yawning softly. 

Lily curled up on the couch, eyes fixed on her phone. 

When Mason started snoring, Andrew picked up the boy and carried him to the guest room. Neil looked at Lily who shifted, watching her brother go. 

“Do you want to put something else on? Unless you like Bubble Guppies,” Neil said, grabbing the remote off the table. 

“What do you like to watch?” she asked, turning her phone off. 

“Anything about dinosaurs,” Neil admitted. 

She smiled. “You work at the museum right?” 

Neil nodded, his leg bounced a little. “Yeah, I do. I give tours for dinosaur exhibits.” 

“Do you have a favorite?”

“Favorite dinosaur?” She nodded. “Brachiosaurus.” 

She sat up, fidgeting with her shirt. Neil watched her for a moment as she crossed her arms over her chest and fixed her eyes on the TV.

“Are you--Did I say something?” Neil asked. 

It was natural for Andrew to cross his arms, but Andrew told him that when others did it it usually meant that they were angry. Neil’s mother had tried to teach him body language but he was horrible at it. 

He knew what someone looked like when they wanted him dead and that’s all he needed to know. 

“What? No,” Lily said with a frown. 

“Oh. You just...nevermind.” 

Neil got up. He went into the kitchen with Andrew. 

“Everything okay?” Andrew asked, sipping his coffee. 

Neil frowned. “I don’t know. She was acting weird. I didn’t...It didn’t make sense.” 

Andrew looked past Neil into the living room. He watched her go into the bathroom. 

“Matt said they were having a hard time with her, right? It’s probably just normal teen stuff,” Andrew said, assuring him. He patted the seat next to him on the island and Neil sat down. “It’s the first time we’re alone with them, right?” 

Yeah, but--” 

“But nothing. Mason loves you. I doubt that whatever’s going on with Lily has anything to do with you specifically.” 

Neil nodded, shaking out his hands. He exhaled slowly. He flinched at the sound of glass breaking. Both him and Andrew had instinctively leaned toward each other before looking for the danger. 

Before they could get up to look, Lily stepped into the kitchen. It took Neil a moment to realize she was crying, to see how bad she was shaking. Neil frowned and Andrew was on his feet instantly. 

“I’m sorry. I broke your mirror,” she said quietly, voice thick with tears. 

Neil looked away from the blood. “I’ll get some bandages.” 

He hurried past them and upstairs into the hallway. He grabbed the bandages and hurried back downstairs to see Andrew gently rinsing the wound. Lily cried, apologizing like crazy. 

“I just couldn’t take it anymore,” she babbled, sobbing. “I can’t--Don’t tell Matt. Please.”

Andrew turned the water off. “Why? Are you scared of him?” 

Neil set the bandages on the counter. 

“No, not like that I just--” she shook her head, trying to catch her breath. “I’m not ready.”

“Ready?” Andrew asked. 

“They’re both upset with me. I’ve messed up a lot lately.” 

“It happens. You’re a kid, Lily. Kids mess up.” 

“Don’t call me that,” Lily snapped, jerking away. 

Andrew frowned. “Okay, then what should I call you?” 

He crossed his arms over his chest.

“Liam.”

“Oh,” Andrew said. “Do Dan and Matt know?” 

“Know?” Neil frowned. 

“He’s trans,” Andrew explained. 

“He’s--Oh!” Neil said. “Well, Matt won’t care!”

“They wanted a girl. They already have a son,” Liam sniffled, wiping under his eyes with his uninjured hand. 

Andrew grabbed the bandages. “May I?” he nodded to his hand.

He nodded, holding it out. 

“If you want, we can be with you when you tell them,” Andrew offered. 

“I’m not ready. I don’t want--” 

“Hey, that’s okay. It doesn’t need to be tonight.” 

“It’s why I wound up in the system. My parents...weren’t nice. I didn’t tell the social workers why. I just wanted to get out and then I found Matt and Dan...I didn’t want to ruin it,” Liam said quietly. “Love has it’s conditions. I don’t want to break them.”

“Matt and Dan aren’t like that,” Neil insisted. 

“How do you know? It’s always different when it’s your kid,” he said, looking down at the bandages. 

“Because they don’t care about Renee being non-binary. They’re really supportive actually,” Neil said. 

Liam frowned. “You’ll sit with me when I tell them?” 

“Of course,” Andrew said, cleaning up the blood on the floor. 

“Tonight, when Dan comes?”

“If that’s what you want.” 

Liam nodded. “Yeah.” 

-

Dan frowned as she sat down. “Your hand! What happened?” she gasped, reaching for her oldest child’s hand. 

Liam let her take it. 

“I punched their mirror.” 

“Lilian!” Dan cried. “Why would you break their mirror?” 

Neil stood up, he couldn’t sit still anymore. Dan glanced at him but turned her attention to the kid in front of her. 

Liam took his hand back. “I got upset.”

“I’ll get you a new one,” Dan said to Neil and Andrew. “She’s been going through this phase--” 

“It’s not a phase!” Liam shouted. 

Dan frowned. “So you plan on being violent and partying forever? Andrew’s not a role model, you know.” 

“That’s not what I--What did Andrew do?” 

“Another time,” Andrew dismissed. “Keep going.”

“What’s he talking about,” Dan frowned. 

“You know the story about my family before this,” Liam explained and Dan nodded, “Well they did those things because I told them I was trans.” 

Dan’s lips formed an ‘o’ shape. “Okay, so you came out to them and you still feel this way?” 

Liam nodded, looking away. He braced himself for violence. It never came. Dan enveloped her son in a hug. 

“Oh my god, why didn’t you say anything? You can talk to us about these things, sweetheart,” Dan whispered and then gasped pulling back. “Okay so pronouns? Your name...What are we calling you now? Lily is pretty feminine though…” 

Liam smiled, explaining that he liked the name Liam. 

Andrew went upstairs to get Mason for Dan so they could head home, there was a lot to discuss. Neil watched Mason curl into Dan’s arms, watched Liam thank and hug Andrew (with his permission). Liam waved goodbye to Neil. 

Neil stood in the living room, their house suddenly feeling empty and quiet. “You were good with Liam,” he said quietly when Andrew shut the door. “Really good.” 

Andrew turned around to look at him across the room. “Mason liked you.”

Neil smiled. “Do you think we’ll be good parents?” 

Andrew crossed the room, stopping a few feet away from Neil. He nodded. “I think so. It won’t be easy, but I think we’ll figure it out.” 

Neil nodded. 

-

So, when Henry came into their life next month, they were ready for anything.


End file.
